Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Zanmusweet’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Chrysanthemum  plant named ‘Zanmusweet’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly spherical plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit, dense and full plant habit; dark green-colored leaves; uniform and freely flowering habit; long flowering period; decorative-type inflorescences with ray florets that are bright yellow in color; and good garden performance.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum X morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘ZANMUSWEET’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum X morifolium, commercially referred to as a Garden Mum and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Zanmusweet’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniform spherically-shaped and freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant originated from a cross-pollination in November, 2013 of a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum x morifolium identified as code number 13-032374, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Chrysanthemum x morifolium identified as code number 12-026453, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands in July, 2014.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative terminal cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands since September, 2014. Asexual reproduction by vegetative terminal cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Zanmusweet’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Zanmusweet’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly spherical plant         habit; vigorous growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Long flowering period.     -   6. Decorative-type inflorescences with ray florets that are         bright yellow in color.     -   7. Good garden performance.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the female selection parent. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in plant shape as plants of the new Chrysanthemum are spherical in overall shape whereas plants of the female parent selection are upright and not spherical in overall shape.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the male selection parent. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are larger than plants of the         male parent selection.     -   2. Under natural season conditions, plants of the new         Chrysanthemum flower about five to six weeks later than plants         of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Zanmuriot’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 28,207. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ primarily from plants of ‘Zanmuriot’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are larger than plants of         ‘Zanmuriot’.     -   2. Under natural season conditions, plants of the new         Chrysanthemum flower earlier than plants of ‘Zanmuriot’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. The photograph comprises a top perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Zanmusweet’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 17-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Rijsenhout, The Netherlands under natural daylengths during the summer and autumn and under cultural practices generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 15° C. to 25° C. and night temperatures ranged from 8° C. to 15° C. Plants were 17 weeks from planting when the photograph was taken and the detailed description was taken on plants from 13 to 19 weeks after planting. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Zanmusweet’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum X morifolium identified as code number             13-032374, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of             Chrysanthemum X morifolium identified as code number             12-026453, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—By vegetative tip cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About six to eight days at             temperatures about 12° C. to 23° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 12 to 13             days at temperatures about 12° C. to 23° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; typically close to 164D in             color, actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation,             substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems             upright and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded             appearance to the plant; plants spherical in overall shape;             very freely branching habit, about nine to ten primary             lateral branches develop, each primary lateral branch with             about ten secondary branches; dense and full plant habit;             vigorous growth habit and rapid growth rate.         -   Plant height.—About 30 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 50 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm.             Internode length: About 1.2 cm. Strength: Moderately weak.             Aspect: About 30° to 45° from vertical. Texture and luster:             Pubescent; longitudinally ridged; matte. Color: Close to             138B; with development, becoming closer to 199B.         -   Leaves.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length: About 2 cm             to 7 cm. Width: About 0.7 cm to 3.5 cm. Shape: Elliptic to             broadly elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Palmately lobed, sinuses between lateral lobes divergent and             medium in depth. Texture and luster, upper surface:             Pubescent; slightly glossy. Texture and luster, lower             surface: Pubescent; matte. Venation: Pinnate. Color:             Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to NN137A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 137A. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to NN137A; venation,             close to 138C. Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close             to 138A; venation, close to 139D. Petioles: Length: About             0.3 cm to 1.5 cm. Diameter: About 1 mm to 2 mm. Strength:             Moderately strong. Texture and luster, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous; semi-glossy. Color, upper             surface: Close to 138C. Color, lower surface: Close to 139D. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Decorative-type inflorescence form;             inflorescences borne on terminals above foliar plane; ray             florets arranged acropetally on a capitulum; inflorescences             facing upright to outwardly.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pungent.         -   Flowering response.—Under natural season conditions, plants             flower from week 40 to week 44 in The Netherlands.         -   Postproduction longevity.—Inflorescences maintain good color             and substance for about three weeks in an outdoor nursery;             inflorescences persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—About 700 inflorescences develop             per plant.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 2 mm. Diameter: About             5 mm. Shape: Rounded. Texture and luster: Smooth, glabrous;             semi-glossy. Color: Close to 150D.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 3.5 cm to 4.5 cm.         -   Inflorescence depth (height).—About 1 cm.         -   Disc diameter.—To date, disc floret development has not been             observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum.         -   Receptacle diameter.—About 3 mm.         -   Receptacle height.—About 4 mm.         -   Receptacle shape.—Domed.         -   Receptacle color.—Close to 144D.         -   Ray florets.—Number of ray florets per inflorescence: About             300 ray florets arranged in about ten whorls. Length,             developing: About 0.8 cm. Length, developed: About 1.5 cm.             Width, developing: About 1 mm. Width, developed: About 5 mm.             Shape, developing: Narrowly elliptic. Shape, developed:             Elliptic. Apex, developing and developed: Emarginate. Base,             developing and developed: Obtuse. Margin, developing and             developed: Entire; not undulate. Aspect, developing and             developed: Mostly flat. Texture and luster, developing and             developed, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous;             matte. Color: When opening and fully opened, upper surface:             Close to 9A; color becoming closer to 16A with development.             When opening and fully opened, lower surface: Close to 8A;             color becoming closer to 12B with development.         -   Phyllaries.—Number of phyllaries per inflorescence: About 18             phyllaries arranged in about three whorls. Length: About 7             mm to 10 mm. Width: About 1 mm to 4 mm. Shape: Narrowly             elliptic. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin: Entire.             Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces: Pubescent;             semi-glossy. Color, upper surface: Close to 137A. Color,             lower surface: Close to 138A.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 2 cm. Length,             third peduncle: About 10 cm. Diameter, terminal peduncle:             About 1.5 mm. Diameter, third peduncle: About 1.2 mm.             Strength: Moderately weak. Texture and luster: Pubescent;             matte. Color: Close to 143D.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Not observed. Gynoecium:             Number of pistils per ray floret: One. Pistil length: About             2 mm. Style length: About 1.5 mm. Style color: Close to             149C. Stigma diameter: About 1 mm. Stigma shape: Forked.             Stigma color: Close to 12A. Ovary color: Close to 149D.         -   Seeds and fruits.—To date, seed and fruit production have             not been observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have     demonstrated good garden performance and will tolerate temperatures     ranging from about 4° C. to about 30° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘Zanmusweet’ as illustrated and described. 